Program

The building program is organized in three groups. These groups consist of the main activities in a counselling centre, which Room for Healing has used as a guideline.

• Staff area (counsellors, admin., centerhead, volunteers) • Social area (kitchen, social room, creative space, library) • Exercise area (exercise, workshops, outdoor activities)

The social rooms

The social spaces in the counselling centre is the core of the program. They should be architectural designed to encourage the users to interact with each other but offer the possibility of privacy as well. The social spaces are used for activities as informal talks over coffee, spontaneous events among the users, cooking and being creative in the workshop.

Reflection and meditation

Connected to the social spaces are rooms that can be used as a moment of privacy when needed. The significance of mental and physical well-being is a important part of the counselling concept. Being aware of your feelings can help keeping you in the present, focusing on the most important things (O’bróin 2015). Courses like mindfulness, yoga and meditation is offered during the opening hours. These activities take place in different rooms, which can be used for a various purposes as conversation, relaxation and resting.

Rooms of activity

Through many years of research, exercise is found to be contributing to the overall wellbeing of people and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy (O’bróin 2015). Based on these findings the modern counselling centres all benefits from a well-equipped gym, which works as a pivot point for all activity related to exercise. This includes group or individual training and walks in the surrounding nature. The Regions arrange the course ‘Body and Cancer’, which is a 6-week intensive training program facilitated by the centres.

Staff

Looking at the existing counselling centres the staff areas takes up to one third of the total area. This facilitates the counsellors, the administration, the center head and the volunteers. The group of volunteers are important for the centres to manage daily tasks such as welcoming people when arriving, making the place tidy and neat and ensuring the coffee and tea cans are always filled. The counsellors have their own office, while the administrative staff, center head and volunteers use a more open office structure in my project proposal.